FAI BOARD MEMBER Packie Bonner was tight-lipped on Stephen Kenny’s future as Ireland manager, though said he is encouraged by the team’s improvement.
“That decision will be made eventually and I think everybody knows that. The next board meeting we are going to have a review of the World Cup in its entirely. All of us will give your opinion on that and then Stephen’s contract will be dealt with. We’ve all been encouraged, it’s a progression, we’ve all been encouraged by what’s happened.”
President Gerry McAnaney was also unwilling to discuss Kenny’s future.
Bonner, meanwhile, ruled himself out of applying for the vacant Director of Football role at the FAI. Ruud Dokter is leaving his position at the end of the year, and Bonner is a former Technical Director of the FAI, a previous iteration of the role.
“I’m on the board, I’m quite happy with what I’m doing at this moment in time and want to continue that role. The Director of Football will be a big position and an important position and whoever gets it will have a job to do going forward.”
Bonner was speaking at the launch of a joint FAI and Uefa report, analysing the Social Investment Report on football, which found that football contributes at least €1.8 billion to the Irish economy every year.
According to the report – which used as its basis Ireland’s 221,000 registered players across the underage and adult amateur game and discounted professional and recreational football – football saves the Irish healthcare service €1.14 billion every year.
There is an additional €355 million contributed directly to the Irish economy through employment, the value of facilities and player spending, while a further €303 million is created in social benefit through volunteering, projects and programmes, crime prevention and education and employment.
The FAI will now seek to develop similar reports for regions and local clubs, all in the aim of strengthening the case for investment in the sport, both from the government and private enterprise. An FAI delegation including board member Packie Bonner, Grassroots Director Ger McDermott and President Gerry McAnaney met Deputy Sports Minister Jack Chambers to discuss the report earlier today.
“We’ve been talking to government for 20 years and putting the case out there”, said FAI board member Packie Bonner, speaking at the launch of the report at Buswells Hotel.
“This gives us a numbers game, a scientific approach, to go back and say what it’s worth.
“It strengthens our case and it strengthens their case also for Minister Chambers going back to the government. We thank the guys for the job they have done, to give us this ammunition and tool to allow us, the future is going to be adapting and changing the model.”
The model will also be made available to the IRFU to calculate rugby’s annual worth to the Irish economy.
The FAI believe the detail of the report will potentially allow them to apply for funding to other government department aside from Sport.
The impact of Brexit – whereby Irish footballers will not be allowed to the UK until they are 18, rather than 16 – has accentuated the need to improve facilities and coaching opportunities across Irish football. Damien Duff added urgency to this reality at his unveiling as Shelbourne manager, saying football facilities are “light years” behind the GAA’s.
Improving them will require some State investment, which the FAI hope will be more likely with the detail of this report.
While more money is needed the State have already invested greatly in the Association in rescuing the FAI from bankruptcy in 2019. After the turmoil of that year and the one that followed, this year has seen more stability return and focus shift largely to what is happening on the pitch.
President Gerry McAnaney believes the FAI have a strong relationship with government, referencing the distance travelled when then-sports minister Shane Ross refused to discuss a potential bailout with the elected football directors of the Association at the end of 2019.
“I think we’ve a very good relationship with government at all levels, they see what we are trying to do as an FAI, a Board as an Association. It’s not all about indicators. You go back 18 months there was people here in this very building who couldn’t get in the gates of government building. People are now comfortable with the current FAI which is huge.”
Originally published at 16.15
